MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING WIFE MISSES HEARING

A murder suspect scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday morning did not show up.

Third Circuit Judge Eleanor Van Sciver said she would issue a $500,000 bail warrant for the arrest of John J. Quas if he did not appear by 5 p.m.Quas, 37, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Susan Quas, 35, who was shot in the head on June 15, 1987, in the couple's West Valley home.

Quas was charged before with the murder, but the charge was dismissed in August 1987 after Van Sciver ruled there was insufficient evidence. Saying they have new evidence, prosecutors filed the same charge again last July.

Though Quas wasn't present during a hearing Tuesday morning, defense attorneys argued about the propriety of the new charges.

Van Sciver said that if Quas appears or is apprehended within 48 hours, she will try to schedule a preliminary hearing for Friday.